I swing a 8 foot big bait special by Phenix,along with a cutta 400.Slick as snot.I like it better than a nine foot rod i use to throw made by all star,the california calico special althogh it definatly did the trick.And i can throw all baits with the Phenix seven inch stockers all the way up to 12" Slammers .It trolls great as well,the all star was a little to fast actioned.Hook ups are definatly alot smother with the Phenix.All this stuff is too expensive in my opinion but if you want the best.........you know the rest.Keep your lines tight and your rod tips up!